


Training Sakura

by Kalira



Series: Training Sakura [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Kakashi is bad with children and good with dogs, Mentor/Protégé, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV Haruno Sakura, POV Hatake Kakashi, Solution: baby ninja are basically like ninken puppies right?, Training, as I continue this work in progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-24 14:19:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16641828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: Two members of Team Seven broke away on their own, and in the aftermath there remains only one thing to be settled. . . That one thing is not what anyone expected.With Sakura as his sole remaining student, Kakashi settles in to train her properly, determined to help her achieve her ambitions as a ninja and become a great one.





	1. Taking Responsibility

**Author's Note:**

> I love the idea of Sakura and Kakashi being friends/close, which will - naturally - be the main focus of this story. There may or may not be ships later in the story, but even if so they will not become the main focus. And it won't be Kakashi/Sakura - not in this story, where he becomes her mentor and proper sensei.
> 
> I'm aware Kakashi was something of a disaster as a sensei but given his past leading up to it I think that's only to be expected . . . and I think he could have done better, if he'd tried a bit more, been pushed out of his rut, and been given a chance to do so before things with Team Seven . . . exploded.
> 
> So here's my exploration on what could happen if he'd been pushed into it, after Team Seven exploded.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kakashi is given a push, and Sakura makes a decision.

Kakashi paused where he was perched on the low wall bounding the hospital roof, having been about to leap for a lower level on his way across the village.

Gai beckoned, rather than chase after him, and Kakashi sighed, slipping down silently and crossing towards his friend. “Yo, Gai.” He dipped his head.

“Kakashi!” Gai slung an arm around his shoulders, squeezing hard enough to make them crumple inwards beneath the force. Kakashi bowed with it, familiar with the gesture and not particularly bothered by the pressure. “I . . . am sorry about your students.” he said more quietly.

Kakashi swallowed, wincing. “It’s. . .” he began, then trailed off, shaking his head.

“Ah, all is not lost, is it, Rival?” Gai said cheerfully, and Kakashi pulled away and looked up at him, one hand rubbing across his masked face. He hadn’t shaved since he’d left for his mission and his stubble caught at the inside of the fabric. He tugged it lightly outwards to resettle it and shook his head.

“Gai, I left for a mission I didn’t even want to take because of my duty to my students as the jounin-sensei to a three-man genin team. I returned to find I now have _no_ students.” Kakashi ran his fingers through his hair and slumped a little lower. He knew he had not been . . . a great teacher, but he had _tried_ , once he’d been cornered into taking them he had wanted to do right by the brats even if he wasn’t quite sure what that was, and . . . they’d been _his_ brats. Kakashi _cared_ about them.

“I am truly sorry about Sasuke-kun, Rival.” Gai said, in the soft tone Kakashi knew most people couldn’t imagine coming from him. “And Naruto-kun has chosen his path to follow his own rival, it seems.”

Kakashi rubbed his eye. That wasn’t making him feel much better. And much as he bitched about Gai and the _Eternal Rival_ nonsense . . . what Naruto was chasing, no matter that his goal was to return Sasuke home, not join him, was ever so much worse and more dangerous.

“However, will you abandon Sakura-chan because her teammates have done so?” Gai said, and Kakashi twitched. “You promised to train her as much as they, and surely she only needs you even more after her teammates have left her behind.”

Kakashi turned to look at Gai. “I-” He rubbed his face again. “I’m not good at this, Gai. She. . . She would be better off being shuffled to someone else’s team.” The idea that he had so completely failed his students stung, but Kakashi wouldn’t try to keep the last of them with him to salve his own aching failure. Not when it would be to her detriment.

“ _You_ promised to train her.” Gai said firmly, his eyes hard. “You are a good ninja and a good _man_ , Kakashi.” He paused for a moment, but continued before Kakashi could argue that point. “You know what it is like to lose all of your team. To be left behind, alone.”

Kakashi swallowed hard. He did, and Sakura had been. . .

Gai was too kind to mention Minato-sensei directly, but Kakashi’s mind flashed back to when Rin had died and he bleakly wondered what would have happened to him if he’d lost Minato _then_. Been pushed off. Worse than it would have been later, he supposed. It had been shattering to lose Minato as it was, although at least he had known his sensei would have stayed had he had any . . . choice.

“I’ll try.” Kakashi said, because he was _terrified_ of what he would do, after seeing the wreck he’d made of training his genin to begin with, but that was on him, it wasn’t Sakura’s fault. And Gai was right. Kakashi had a duty to his last remaining student, and if she _wanted_ him to teach her . . . then Kakashi would teach her. “I will ask her what she wants.” he added, shaking his head as Gai scowled. “If she truly wants another sensei, Gai, I would not blame her . . . and I’ll find her one myself. The best I can.”

He wouldn’t abandon Sakura unless she wished him to leave her to another sensei.

Kakashi couldn’t really imagine why she would want to stay with him, he thought grimly, but it would be her choice. He submitted to Gai’s effusive embrace and smiled faintly as he propped his chin on Gai’s shoulder. “Thanks, Gai.” he said softly, and Gai hummed, squeezing him a little tighter, making him huff out a breathless laugh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kakashi knew he needed to deal with his remaining genin quickly, but going directly to find her when he was fresh out of the hospital and just returned from an S-class was not the best idea. He had given it two days, coming back to equilibrium and quietly getting a feel for how the entire group of age-mates had been handling things since the failure to bring Sasuke back and Naruto’s departure.

Kakashi glanced across the street at the house from his place lounging behind a roof promontory. He knew precisely where Sakura lived, of course - he had made certain he knew everything he could about his genin, even if he pretended to ignorance, as soon as he had accepted them as his team. Here . . . was perhaps not the best place to speak to her, though, he thought. And not only because her very civilian parents would likely get involved. He glanced at Sakura’s window, then slipped away.

Instead Kakashi made his way to the comfortable tree near the Academy - no one would look for him there for a mission, and he wasn’t going to go and _ask_ for one until he knew one way or another if he did in fact still have one student. He settled in with his book, though his mind was busy with other considerations as he absently turned the pages.

Later, after lunch, he headed for the area of training grounds two through eight, and cast wide a sensory net. There, the contained and efficient little flare that was Sakura - alone, her chakra roiling with emotional distress.

Kakashi took a moment to brace himself, then dropped down out of the trees and sauntered onto the field, watching Sakura lash out rhythmically at a post.

“Maa. . . Not bad, though you turn your elbow too far up on the left strike.” Kakashi commented, and Sakura whirled on him, a kunai held high in one hand. She lowered it almost immediately, flushing, and bowed.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Sakura straightened slowly, looking up at him. “What- Ano. . . What brings you . . . here?” Her bright eyes were not so bright now, and she couldn’t quite meet his gaze, her expression downcast.

Kakashi owed Gai a nice dinner. Kakashi may or may not have been the best teacher - or even very good with his genin - but Sakura clearly felt abandoned in his absence, not well rid of him. It had been cowardly of him, Kakashi could admit at least to himself, to leave her be instead of going to her, to be sure of what she wanted.

“Sakura.” Kakashi said softly, and she raised her head a little more, skinny shoulders straightening. “I am sorry I was not here.”

Sakura’s eyes widened, then grew damp as she looked away again. “Oh! I- I know you had better-”

“I was assigned a mission, and I couldn’t refuse it.” Kakashi said honestly, interrupting her. “I would have, if I could, to stay. I am _very sorry_ I was not here for you, _all of you_ , when I should have been. As your sensei it is unforgivable to have left you behind when you needed me.” His throat tightened on the last words.

Sakura took a quick, sharp little breath. Kakashi rested a hand on her shoulder and it shook under his touch. He squeezed gently.

“I came here to find you.” Kakashi said softly. “It is time to decide what happens with Team Seven.” He forced down the tremor in his own voice.

“. . .sensei?” Sakura said uncertainly.

“Sasuke has . . . made his choice to leave us all,” Kakashi said, slow and even, “there is little to be done about that. It seems Naruto has chosen a new sensei for himself and I hope his path does well for him.”

Sakura nodded, swallowing visibly.

“So. What would you choose?” Kakashi asked, lifting her chin with a light brush of his fingertips before dropping his hand.

“I- Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura said uncertainly, but her eyes were a little brighter.

“As your sensei it is up to me to choose what path best suits your talents,” Kakashi explained, “but I will not choose _for_ you. As the last,” his voice hitched, “last remaining member of a three-man genin team, you would either be shuffled to a proper team under someone else’s tutelage, or kept on to be trained one-on-one by me.”

Sakura looked hopeful for a moment, then flinched. “Who- Who would you choose for me?” she asked. “I- I always wanted to study a wider range of ninjutsu, so perhaps-”

“Sakura.” Kakashi interrupted her, dropping to a crouch so she couldn’t avoid his eye so easily. “If you wish to join another team I will find you a good- a better sensei to take you on, one that can teach you all you want to learn. But I am not sending you away. If you would rather take the chance on me . . . I would be honoured to keep you as my student.”

Sakura went utterly still. “You- I can stay with you?” she asked in a tiny voice.

“Maa, you won’t find another sensei who knows more ninjutsu, anyway.” Kakashi said wryly. He hadn’t known of that particular ambition; she’d never spoken of it in his hearing.

He twitched as Sakura threw herself at him, raising his arms and catching a slender bundle of shaking tears and warm, sweaty child. “Kakashi-sensei!” Sakura clung to his shoulder and Kakashi couldn’t remember the last time someone had sounded _so pleased_ , so innocently so, just to be near him. He patted her back comfortingly. “Thank you, Kaka-sensei.” she mumbled into the thick shoulder of his vest.

“Thank you for trusting me, Sakura-chan.” Kakashi replied softly, rubbing her thin back with one hand. She felt not unlike a half-grown, nervous puppy. With that thought he instinctively held her a little tighter and she took a deeper, shuddering breath and settled a bit. “I am sorry I did not live up to it before. I promise, for as long as I may, and as long as you wish, I will do my best for you as your sensei.”

Sakura sniffed quietly and curled her fingers into his vest, holding on tight. Kakashi rubbed her back and let her cling, balanced on the balls of his feet with her weight resting awkwardly across his chest and one knee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two should be up sometime in the next week or two, but I do not have a posting schedule planned; I have only a loose and very spotty outline for what I want to do with this story. Each chapter will alternate POVs between Kakashi and Sakura. (There will also be some side stories from assorted outside POVs, which will be posted in a series with this story, but not in the story itself. I'll put in the chapter notes when a side story falls in the timeline of the main story.)


	2. Staying with Kakashi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sakura explains her decision and cements her own determination.

Sakura sat neatly on the grass of the training ground where Kakashi-sensei had left her for a little while. She was . . . hopeful, though, as she couldn’t remember being for. . .

What felt like a long time.

Sakura sniffed and then wiped the last remnants of her tears away and got up, straightening her hair and dress. She washed her face and arms in the stream that ran alongside several of the training grounds here, then glanced at the post she had been pitting herself against earlier before looking up at the sky, slowing fading into pinks and oranges above the trees.

She headed home without another look back, a smile tugging at her lips. Tomorrow morning she was supposed to meet Kakashi-sensei for proper training and a real lesson again. No more practising on her own and _knowing_ it wouldn’t help her get better - at least, not much, not the ways she _needed_ to.

. . .well, it _was_ Kakashi-sensei. Sakura figured she might be working for a while on her own in the morning before he actually showed up, not matter that he’d told her to meet him. But he _would_ be there. Kakashi-sensei was always late, yes, but he was always _there_ if he said he would be. Eventually.

Threading her way across the training grounds back towards the village proper, Sakura suddenly bounced a little on her toes and then took off into a run. She’d told her mother she would try not to be late for dinner again tonight after yesterday. She had made her way home long past dark - she’d spent too long working out and trying to suppress her fears and worried tears.

It wound up being a good thing she’d hurried - even aside from the rapidly-falling night, she reached her street just in time to see Ino walking up to her doorstep. Her brows rose, but she trotted up to join her friend with a curious sound and tilt of her head.

Ino sniffed and scoffed and waved away Sakura’s questions, but her concerned onceover and deft avoidance of an explanation when Sakura’s mother asked. . . Well, Sakura did _know_ Ino.

“Thanks for worrying about me,” Sakura said softly behind her mother’s back as she led the way into the dining room, hugging Ino impulsively - and although Ino made a face at Sakura’s sweaty state, she returned the hug just as firmly, “you don’t need to, though. I’m . . . doing better now.”

Ino hummed and gave her a narrow-eyed look of suspicion, but had no time to ask anything before they sat down to dinner with Sakura’s parents.

“Haruno-san, may I stay tonight? I’ve missed Sakura so much lately, you know?” Ino said, affecting her sweetest, most airheaded expression.

Sakura smothered a laugh and gave a tiny nod when her mother looked over in question. Sakura smiled slightly. Ino really _was_ welcome. And good thing, because Ino was also _very bad_ at taking no for an answer, especially when she was worried.

Straight after dinner, Ino followed Sakura upstairs to her room and her mother - looking a little relieved - bid them both not to stay up too late with an expression that was more amused than warning, then left them alone. Ino immediately fixed Sakura with a firm look and she laughed a little awkwardly, rubbing her face and waving a hand at her bed in invitation as she sank into the chair at her vanity to . . . explain the new difference in herself. Ino settled on the bed but didn’t leave off her fierce look.

Her eyes rapidly widened, though, as Sakura told her about Kakashi finding her on the training fields, what he had said, the promise he had given and the choice Sakura had made. Day recounted, she lifted her jaw a little and nodded firmly, once, then turned to face the mirror, drawing a deep, calming breath as she met her own eyes for a moment. Settling herself. Then she looked past her own reflection and back at her best friend.

Ino was fiddling with her hair, having pulled the neat cover off her bun as Sakura spoke, letting the short ponytail fall free. She tugged at her bangs, making a thoughtful sound.

“Okay, but no offense,” Ino dropped her hands and turned to face Sakura fully, tucking her legs up alongside her right hip, “ _why_ would you trust him again? Why not get a new sensei? Especially if he _offered_ to help find you one?”

Sakura set her mouth firmly and shook her head. “I don’t _want_ a new sensei. He’s- He’s always late and he makes terrible excuses and he’s not- But you weren’t on our missions, you didn’t _see_.” He also hadn’t _abandoned_ them - her - after the Exams had turned into a disaster, as Sakura had quietly wondered; he had been _ordered_ away. Knowing that . . . helped. Sakura was glad he had told her. Thought she wondered a little if he had been _supposed_ to and suspected maybe not.

“So tell me.” Ino said, twisting her body and sprawling out on her belly.

Sakura ruffled her own hair and neatened her hitai-ate through it, then turned back to face Ino properly again rather than watching her through the mirror. “I don’t think Kakashi-sensei knew what to do with- with us, but he tried, and he _took care of us_. When a mission went sideways he asked us what we wanted to do, he didn’t just order us unless it was an emergency or it really was beyond us - sometimes then, really - and no matter what he would have done _anything_ to protect us. I _saw_ that.”

Ino’s expression softened a little, and she nodded.

Sakura quietly pushed away the memory of Zabuza’s terrifyingly heavy killing intent, enough to make her nearly blind, too rabbit-scared even to tremble as she clutched a kunai in both hands - and then that smothering weight suddenly cut by a powerful crackle of opposing chakra as Kakashi-sensei turned to smile and promise almost carelessly that he would protect them. Doing just that as Zabuza attacked.

They might have saved _him_ as well, in that battle, but Kakashi-sensei had stepped in and done his best to spare them - to send them away before they could get hurt in something that was far beyond what they were ready to handle.

It was only one of several memories in which Kakashi-sensei had interposed himself unwaveringly between any one or all three of them and harm.

“Besides,” Sakura straightened her shoulders and pressed on, “I want to learn ninjutsu, a _lot_ of them, all the interesting ones I can.” She smiled slightly. “Remember, Ino?” she asked softly. She had mostly forgotten herself, for a while, but it was a goal she’d set, _wished for_ , since she was very little. Ino knew that, had listened to her when she talked about wanting to learn all the jutsu there were when they were small.

Ino’s eyes widened, but after a moment she nodded shallowly.

“Kakashi-sensei knows more jutsu than _anyone_ and he’s going to teach me.” She set her jaw. She was _going_ to learn and she was _going_ to be a great ninja and it had nothing to do with matching the boys or catching up to them, it was _Sakura’s_ dream, the one that had first pushed her to join the Academy, even with her confused parents fretting over the idea of her becoming a ninja.

Though Sakura’s visits to Lee in the hospital had begun half out of guilt, they had talked a lot - Sakura had found she . . . actually rather liked the odd, incredibly determined boy. Their long conversations about goals and dreams and achievements had reminded Sakura, a little shamefully, of the dream and ambition she had somehow forgotten. The drive that had originally made her push to be as good as - _better than_ \- the Clan children in her class.

She’d made it, too, at least in some ways - graduated the Academy as top kunoichi in her year, nearly made it through the Chuunin Exam on her first try with less than a year as a genin, stood her ground against enemy nin and even a _legendary_ nuke nin. Sakura refused to forget that. She _was_ capable of being as good and _better_ than any of the Clan ninja, and Kakashi-sensei was going to train her and teach her, and Sakura wouldn’t let _anything or anyone_ distract her from her own goals any more.

They could worry about catching up to _her_ for once.

“You look determined, forehead girl.” Ino said, and Sakura shifted to glare at her, but Ino’s eyes were warm and a small smile played about her lips.

Sakura sniffed. “I _am_.” She grinned at Ino. “I told you; you don’t need to worry about me any more. I’m . . . better, now.”

“Good.” Ino said succinctly. She rolled over and slid to the edge of the bed as Sakura rose. “I hate worrying.” she added with a sniff, looking at Sakura with a lofty, disdainful expression. “It doesn’t _suit_ me.”

Sakura fell into giggles and tackled Ino back onto her bed, making her laugh even as she wrestled to get Sakura off her again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura was not even a little surprised to reach the little stone wall marking the edge of training ground thirteen at the specified time in the morning and find her sensei was not present. She yawned and hopped up onto the fence, aiming to seat herself on one of the taller posts to wait, then paused, looking down.

She leaned down and snagged the parcel that had been resting on the other side of the fence, on the grass. A few firm tugs unwound the soft pink furoshiki and Sakura eyed the book within curiously, plucking out the note that rested inside the cover as she moved to settle atop the post.

_Sakura-  
I’ll be a little late - my ninken seem to have fallen down a puddle and I’m afraid I’ll have to go after them. Hopefully this will keep you occupied until I get there.  
Keep it._

It was ‘signed’ with a henohenomoheji, not that Sakura could have mistaken its author anyway, already rolling her eyes by the time she had reached _puddle_ in her sensei’s note. She shook her head, laughing a little, and turned the book over, then stilled, eyes widening. It was a comparative treatise on the types of jutsu most common in each of the elemental nations. Sakura had never seen a copy before, not in the Academy or even when she was looking up jutsu and history in the shinobi library. Never seen anything _like_ as heavy on the topic, even.

She tucked her feet up, bracing the soles of her sandals against the side of the post beneath her, and opened the book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three is in progress but I am not sure when it will be finished and ready to share. I'll get on it as soon as I can, but I can't make any promises on a date. However there will be a side story for this story (though set a good year or more in the future from this beginning) posted next week, as part of Sakura Month. (Which is one of the things that's been keeping me busy; I'll have a lot of new stories going up in December for that Event, though not quite one for every day.)

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hello, talk fandom, or tell me what you think of Kakashi-sensei and Sakura over on [Tumblr](http://kalira9.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SerenaMarceaux/)!


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